Machine tool



Feb. 4, 1941; w s 2,230,292

MACHINE TOOL Filed 001:. l, 1957 INVENTORZ Wm. J. FASO;

i LWM,

ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 4, 1941 PATENT OFFlCE MACHINE TOOL I William J. Faso, Farmingdale, N. Y., assignor to Seversh Aircraft Delaware Corporation, a corporation of Application October 1, 1937, Serial No. 166,724

7 Claims.

This invention relates to machine tools and particularly to end-mill routers.

The usual practice, at present, is to employ, with the end-mill cutter of routing-machines, a pilot usually either made integral with, or mounted on, the cutter itself, with many consequent disadvantages. It has also been considered necessary, to date, to use only largish end-mill cutters and to rotate them at rather slow speeds, especially for routing la minations. Such expedients do not permit routing out apertures of the very small radii often required in routing laminations, or for construction of small metal parts.

The present invention aims to adapt routers for use for the central or edge routing of a plurality, of metal parts at one time, in such a manner as to permit the employment of quite small milling cutters and rotating them at quite high 20 speeds, resulting in a considerable saving of time and expense all along the metal-working line.

The invention also aims to make it possible to employ in the construction of routing machines,

which usually require specific designs different 25 from those of all other machines, some of the standardized, surplus of other materials, such as small drill-presses, found around most metalworking shops and aims to thereby provide a very much simplified machine, whereby to ma- 30 terially reduce the cost of manufacturing endmill routing machines. The invention also provides, for a free pilot, which will yet also include means for applying mechanical advantage to the end-mill for routing holes in the interior 35 or other inaccessible locations of the material,

without necessitating predrilled or punched access-channels, from the edge of the sheet of material. v

The machine of the present invention is par- 40 ticularly well adapted to routing out a stack, or lamination, of metal sheets without deforming or bending any of the sheets in the stack or pro ducing chips between the laminations, with obvious undesirable results, but is also applicable 45 to routing unlaminated material.

The other objects and advantages of the invention will be made manifest as this disclosure progresses.

One embodiment of the present invention is 50 shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawing, which is a diagrammatic sideelevation of the machine set up for use with a pattern and a stack of laminated material-to be routed to the shape of the outline, apertures,

55 etc. of the pattern.

The structure shown in the drawing comprises a base I, here shown as consisting of four legs, carrying a c-frame, 2. A work-base 3 is bolted or otherwise suitably attached to the lower part of the O, and the upper arm of the C carries a 5 drill-press-head l. The drill-press-head consists of an ordinary spindle 5 mounted on an arm I5, rigidly fixed to the-C-frame. A suitable feeding-device 6 is provided and the lower end of the spindle bears a chuck I, into which is fitted an 10 overhead pilot rod 8.

The lower arm of the c bears, also, a highspeed motor 9, such as an air-turbine, the shaft of which is aligned with the center line of the drill-press-head. Rigidly mounted in a socket 15 in the air-motor is a cylindrical end-mill hav ing spirally arranged cutting edges on its side, and on the top face as well. The height of upward protrusion of the cutter can be varied at will, as well as'the distance of downward pro- 20 trusion of the drill-press-head.

In operating the machine, a C-clamp I0, preferably, has inserted between its jaws, first a template or pattern II, to the shape of which the laminated material I2 is to be routed out by means of the end-mill 20. A spacer 2|, preferably of wood, is provided between the pattern and the laminated material. The work in the clamp is fed by hand, in the present example, into the cutter and is cut away along the outlines of the pattern until same bears against the pilot 8. Only parts of the lamination that overlap or extend beyond the pattern, or lie within the boundaries of inlets in the pattern, can be touched by the end-mill. The pilot and the cutter have exactly the same diameters.

One of the principal advantages of the router lies in the fact that end-millers as small as 34;" can be used to route quite a high stack of metal, and at speeds as high as 22,000 R. P. M., even with a small 2 H. P. air-turbine.

The drill press head performs the two-fold function of providing for free rotation for the pilot and when it is desired to route out an internal cut in the material, to form a gasket or washer of irregular internal shape, for example, the material may be perforated by holding it on top of the cutter and forcing it into the cutter by means of the pilot. Mechanical advantage is provided by the vertical movement of the pilot and spindle, which movement is efiectuated by means in the drill press head operated by the handle 6. Once the material is perforated, the internal shape may be cut to the configuration 01' the inside iace of a proper pattern, in the same manner as when the outside face of the material is being out. By virtue of the concept of providing a separate pilot, it is rendered possible to employ an end-mill of quite a small diameter, wherebyinterior apertures of a very much smaller diameter than usual may be formed. A miller of such a small diameter as the present could not be employed for such work if it were not for the cooperation of the'overhead pilot. as this would cause the cutter to deflect too much to do any cutting at all as the work feeds into it. Also, the high speed, small miller would soon overheat to such an extent as to become inoperative, due to its taking all the thrust and friction. The absence of the pilot would also result in wearing down the template to such an extent as to make it inaccurate, as the miller itself would thenhave to be relied upon for guidance.

Other advantages include obviating deformity of the laminated parts being routed; elimination of chips between the laminations; and the saving of time in routing parts by eliminating the necessity for first employing drills or punches especially set up for the purpose. The use of a drill-press 7 type of head in the machine, instead of other types of heads, permits the employment of a detailassembly of the type'usually found in abundance in small drilling machines and now rendered interchangeable with the press-head of the present machine. Various refinements and ramifications of the particular exampleshown are contemplated as being within the scope of the sub-joined claims.

Having now disclosed my invention and at least one mode of performing same in such full, clear and exact terms as to enable one skilled in the art to make and use same, what I claim as my invention is: v

l. A machine-tool, comprising-a base-frame, a

40 frame mounted thereon, means on the second frame for applying rotary cutting action to the work, an overhead extension of the second frame lying over the cutting means and means on the extension for limiting the range of movement of the work, with said limiting means rotatably mounted in said frame for horizontal rotation by the action of the work.

2. A machine-tool, comprising a base-frame, another frame mounted thereon and having an upper arm integral with a lower arm, means on the lower arm of said second frame for applying a rotary cutting action, and an overhead pilot member in the upper arm for limiting the movement of the work toward said rotary cutting means, said pilot member being mounted in said second frame for both vertical reciprocation and horizontal rotation, the latter being effectuated by the work itself.

3. In a routing machine, a curved frame, a

. mentality.

drill-press head mounted in the top outer arm thereof and having a chuck adapted to hold a rod, 9. motor mounted in the lower arm of said frame and adapted to hold a rotary cutting instrumentality in vertical alignment with said rod,

whereby the rod is adapted to freely roll around 1 the work and to apply a downward force to the work to drive the work down about the instru- 4. In a router, a curved frame, a drill-press head mounted in the upper end thereof, a pilot member in the chuck of said press-head, and overlying the work-area, a motor mounted on the other end of said curve, and adapted to drive'a cutting tool, the pilot being of substantially the same diameter as the cutting instrumentality and being vertically aligned with it and being adapted to act as a stop to prevent excessive feeding of the material against the cutting instrumentality, whereby excessive deflection of the cutter is prevented thereby permitting useof unusually small cutters at an unusually high. angular velocity without setting up undue friction or wearing down the pattern.

5. In a router, an overhead drill-press head bearing a work pilot freely revoluble by frlctionalreaction with the work, and an independently rotated rotary cutting instrumentality beneath, and vertically aligned with, said pilot, whereby the press-head provides freedom of revolution for the pilot to facilitate contact movement of the 'work around the pilot and provides mechanical advantage for the end-mill to drive the head ofthe mill through parts of the work where noaccess from outside is available. a a

6. A machine tool, comprising: a frame, having an upper and a lower arm; a press head mounted in the upper arm thereof and having a member adapted to hold another member depending therefrom for rotation; and a power-means mounted in the lower arm of said frame and adapted to hold and drive a tool in alignment'with said depending member, whereby the work is adapted to be moved 360 around the work area in contact I with the tool, with the range of action of the work limited only by the depending member.

7. A machine tool, comprising: a frame having an upper arm and a lower-arm; a press-head mounted in the upper arm; a work-pilot member mountedin the press-head for rotation in a plane overlying the work area; power-means mounted in the lower arm and adapted to drive a. tool; the pilot being of substantially the same diameter as the tool and in substantial alignment with the same, and being adapted to act as a rotary stop, whereby excessive deflection of the tool is prevented. i

WILLIAM J. FASO. 

